I love the existing YSL Les Sahariennes Bronzing Stones bronzers in their sleek compacts, but this new collector’s palette is just something else! You may have missed last year’s post on Les Sahariennes and so I’ll do a brief recap: the YSL Bronzing Stones are powder bronzers with a very smooth, creamy finish that blends seamlessly in to the skin. They are not pots of those annoying little makeup balls, as you may assume from the name; the powder comes pressed into a traditional compact and is applied in the usual way, which is – for me, at least – bish-bashing it on anywhere the sun might naturally hit.
Les Sahariennes Bronzing Stones provide a real radiance to the skin without being shimmery – I do find that with some sparkly, glimmery bronzers the shimmer travels as much as the fine lines around my eyes and puts a spotlight on them. Never a good look, which is why, FYI, you have to be quite precise and careful when applying illuminator towards the very tops of your cheekbones; a razor-sharp cheekbone is one area of visual magnificence when done well, but it’s so easy to catch the crepey bits around your eyes.
Where was I? New Les Sahariennes: the Solar Star*. This special edition collector’s palette comes in only one shade, shade 2, which is called “Fire Opal”. If you refer to last year’s post on the Bronzing Stones, you’ll see that I made use of shade 1 all over and then shade 3 as a little bit of an “accent” bronzer; it’s no surprise, then, which i get on well with shade 2. It’s pretty much perfect for me at the moment – my face has acquired a bit of a tan from weeks in the garden (despite my regular SPF50 application!) and shade 1 is simply that bit too fair. (Though absolutely beautiful if you prefer a subtle, sunkissed glow.)
YSL Sahariennes: The Ultimate Bronze
I’ve done a quick before-and-after for you, using the new Les Sahariennes collector palette:
You can see that it adds a gorgeous warmth to my skin – it’s not at all a cool-toned bronzer, so you wouldn’t use it as a contour powder – and there’s a radiance to the finish, despite there being no obvious glimmer. (Excuse the Blue Steel and the contrived hand position within the second photo, I wanted to get my nails in! Nails Inc Long Wear in Chelsea Lane, lb11 here* if you like the look of it.)
So a brilliant summer bronzer, then, having a smooth finish and a hit of glow. But it’s the packaging that actually steals the show here – proper handbag fodder, using its lime green snakeskin and red Cassandre logo. It’s a much-needed antidote to any or all of the pinks and nudes dominating the posh world. I’m all for pinks and nudes (see previous photos, if you want any evidence!) but a bit of an acid colour injection once in a while is no bad thing.
You can find the brand new collector’s edition Bronzing Stones palette at Selfridges here* – it’s lb35.
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